Toronto FC on Thursday afternoon made a drastic turn in a dismal season, firing coach/technical director Aron Winter and hiring former New England Revolution assistant Paul Mariner to replace him.

Winter, 45, struggled to turn around the franchise in his 17 months on the job — posting only seven victories in 42 MLS matches and being outscored 80-44 during his tenure.

This season, Toronto is 1-9-0 and has been outscored 21-8. Toronto got its first league win this season in its 10th match when it beat the visiting Philadelphia Union 1-0 on May 26.

“This was a very difficult decision for both of us, but one that I believe is necessary given our team’s regular season results,” Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment COO Tom Anselmi said in a statement. “Our fans have been very patient and we gave Aron every opportunity to turn things around, but it came to a point where a change needed to be made.

“Anyone who has met or spent time with Aron during his tenure with our club will agree that he’s as classy a person as you will meet in the world of professional sports. He leaves our club having made an indelible mark. I’m confident in Paul’s abilities and skills to lead our team out of our current position and through the rest of the season. The fact that he has been part of our management team will make this transition an easy one for the club, and most importantly our players.”

Winter's club found success only outside MLS. Toronto won the four-team Canadian Championship in each of his two years in charge, and the club made a surprising run to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals before losing to Mexico’s Santos Laguna two months ago.

Mariner, a 59-year-old former English national player, becomes Toronto's seventh coach in its sixth season of existence. He takes over a club only a third of its way through the season but one that already is 15 points out of contention for the final MLS playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Mariner says his first move will be to drop Winter's favored 4-3-3 formation — used by world-class clubs like Ajax Amsterdam and Barcelona — and instead install a more conventional 4-4-2 attack.

“I believe our team is better than its record shows, and that we can achieve success throughout the remainder of the season,” Mariner said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and turning things around on the pitch as soon as possible.”